Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset takes another step forward

On the evening of Tuesday 9th August, the Museum welcomed members of the public to have their say on the latest outline plans for the Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset project. The Victorian Hall was bustling with members of the community eager to discuss how their Museum will look upon opening in 2020, and to talk to the project team about the process.

Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset takes another step forward

Last year an exceptional Heritage Lottery fund grant of £9.9 million was secured, conditional on the Museum raising £3.3 million and developing the project to the high standard the Heritage Lottery Fund expects. One specific area of development is the architectural design of a major extension to the existing building. Carmody Groarke, architects for the Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset project, are designing a building which includes:

Spectacular new galleries which tell the story of 200 million years of Dorset’s history

Accessible, state-of-the-art storage for the collection

A new international-standard gallery which can host the best touring and temporary exhibitions

A specially created, publicly visible space for volunteers and researchers to work on the collections

A new learning centre in the restored medieval rectory at the rear of the site

A new shop and café in prime position on Dorchester’s High Street.

The latest drawings show outline designs for a transformation which sees the Museum double in size. The plans are on display in the Victorian Hall and we welcome everyone to come and comment on them. This museum is about the entire county of Dorset- for everyone who lives in the county, and those who visit, and it is important to us that you have your say.

We would like to thank everyone who has already visited the Museum to give their comments and we look forward to hearing more of your thoughts over the next coming weeks.

Work has started on moving some of the museum’s collection to the Old School in Grey School Passage. Purchased in March, the building will provide both temporary and long-term space for storage of collections.

Our new Natural Dorset gallery will give visitors the opportunity to discover over 200 million years of Dorset’s natural history and will allow our Natural History collection to go back on display after a period of almost 20 years in storage.